“I didn’t even know a lot of these people, but they knew her. So that’s what’s important,” Sarah Patten said.

“I’ve known Cassidy since I was a baby,” said Katie Worster, a friend. “We were best friends my whole life.”

Cassidy Patten’s classmates said she was full of energy, humor and a desire to help others. She is being remembered for her volunteer work with children.

“She was always happy and even when she was sad, she wouldn’t show it. She just wanted to be loved,” Worster said.

On Wednesday night, Sarah Patten wore the flowers her daughter wore to the prom last year.

“They kind of became her signature hairpiece to wear,” she said. “Everybody called her the flower child. When I was going through her stuff today, I found them and I put them on, and I wanted to wear them for her because they were her favorite.”

Cassidy Patten graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School a few months ago. Her high school principal said she was a “great kid with an infectious smile.”